Product Description

Ronald Blythe's 1969 book "Akenfield" - a moving portrait of English country life told in the voices of the farmers and villagers themselves - is a modern classic. In 2004, writer and reporter Craig Taylor returned to the village in Suffolk on which "Akenfield" was based. Over the course of several months, he sought out locals who had appeared in the original book to see how their lives had changed, he met newcomers to discuss their own views, and he interviewed Ronald Blythe himself, now in his eighties. Young farmers, retired orchardmen and Eastern European migrant workers talk about the nature of farming in an age of computerization and encroaching supermarkets; commuters, weekenders and retirees discuss the realities behind the rural idyll; and the local priest, teacher and more describe the daily pleasures and tribulations of village life. Together, they offer a panoramic and revealing portrait of rural English society at a time of great change.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42406 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
* 'Gentle, subtle, absorbing book... the most complex and supple account of that much-discussed idea, 'modern rural life', that I have ever read' Robert Macfarlane

Mail on Sunday
‘Gripping to read, though no doubt less enjoyable to live through’

The Guardian
‘A generous tribute to the generosity of the place it describes, and tells a heartening story about tolerance and resourcefulness’

Customer Reviews

Excellent insight into country life
I haven't read the original Akenfield that this book is based on but I definitely will now. I really enjoyed this book's insights into rural English life, and how thing have changed between the original book and this re-visiting. Its descriptions of country living, recounted through the eyes of those who live there - be it the publican, the farmer, the new urban escapees, or those who have never left - are beautifully told and refreshingly unsentimental - and really made me think about the challenges and realities of a rural society.